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Priestly vocations

The Bachelor of Theology degree is the principle means of training bilingual clergy for the Greek Orthodox Archdiocese, and admission is limited to those who aspire to the clergy or males to actively serve within the archdiocese. Said aspirants are expected to complete a year of further study, either an honours year or a Master of Arts in Pastoral Ministry.

Degree programs

St Andrew's currently offers the Bachelor of Theology (with an honours programs available), Master of Arts in Theological Studies, Master of Arts in Pastoral Ministry, Master of Theology, and Basic Unit of Clinical Pastoral Education (CPE) in Aged Care. Honours programs for the Master of Arts, Master of Theology and doctoral programs can be done through the Sydney College of Divinity.

1959: Archbishop Ezekiel of Australia gives thought to establishing an ecclesiastical seminary. Appoints a committee for the St Andrew's War Memorial Theological College Fund, which receives a donation from Sir Arthur George and Michael Papsalis; however, nothing becomes of this, as it is out of the reach of the Greek Orthodox in Australia at that time, and the donation is used to cover ongoing operating costs.

1975: Archbishop Stylianos of Australia, on arrival in Australia, focuses on establishing a tertiary theological college.

1981 Jan: At the Fourth Clergy-Laity Congress, Sydney, Archbishop Stylianos requests and gains support for the beginning of a theological college.

1982: During the official visit to Australia of Constantine Karamanlis, president of Greece, Archbishop Stylianos asked help to establish a church seminary. Karamanlis asks for a feasibility study to be done by the end of his visit. However, the Speaker of the House, A Kaklamanis, ignored, then rejected the letter on the grounds that the Church should care for ecclesiastical education, not the government. In response, Archbishop Stylianos decided to reenergise the St Andrew's Brotherhood, so that all clergy, making annual donations, would set an example for the laity.

1984 May: Archbishop Stylianos appoints an interim committee to consider and suggest ways of beginning the college, and to prepare the curriculum.

1984 Dec: On receipt of the report of the interim committee, three committees are established (building, administrative and academic).

1985: Archbishop Stylianos sends letter to 1000 friends and acquaintences asking for $1000 donation. $350000 was collected and allowed the Archdiocese to make a deposit on a property in Caringbah.

With enough academically qualified and already-lecturing Orthodox, Sir Arthur George signed an agreement at the 5th Clergy-Laity conference (Brisbane) to provide the funds for the first stage of development. The donation of $250000 was used to renovating and modifying buildings at the Archdiocese by creating lecture rooms, domitories for interstate students, an office, a library and a common room.

1986 Feb: College opens. Metropolitan Maximos of Stavropoulos (Dean of Halki) and Premier Neville Wran (NSW) are present. Tuition is conducted for residential male students only. No fee is charged, and (by agreement) no wage is paid to the lecturers. The Bachelor of Theology is a four-year degree, in line with equivalent degrees in Greece.

1995: Bp Seraphim becomes new Sub-Dean of St Andrew's.

1990s (late): College changes structure of Bachelor of Theology degree to a three-year degree (in line with equivalent degrees in Australia) with a compulsory fourth year of honours or postgraduate work.

2001 Jun: St Andrew's Orthodox Press established to produce The Greek-Australian Vema, the newspaper of the Archdiocese, with thelong-term view of publishing works of the faculty.

~2003: St Andrew's begins to offer two intensive courses every semester for all members of the public, to the achievement of a Graduate Certificate of Theology (after four subjects, the equivalent of one semester full-time study), a Graduate Diploma of Theology (after 8 subjects) and a Masters of Arts in Theological Studies (after 12 subjects).

Influence

As the sole Orthodox theological college of its kind in the southern hemisphere, St. Andrew's has taught not only the clergy of the Greek Orthodox Archdiocese, but also a sizeable number from other jurisdictions in Australia, most numerously of the Serbian Orthodox Diocese.